On his feelings about hearing his name announced...
``It's an unbelievable feeling. I had so many emotions going through my body. When they called my name I couldn't stop shaking. It's a dream come true. I'm so excited about putting on that jersey.''

On joining the Kings...
``The No. 1 thing is just gelling as a team. Hopefully I can make the team better and we can win a Stanley Cup some day.''

On comparisons to Ray Bourque...
``It's an unbelievable feeling, and overwhelming, to be compared to him. I know how much he accomplished and if I could accomplish half of those things, that would be incredible.''

On trying to make the NHL this coming season...
``I'm very prepared and I think I can make the team. That's my No. 1 goal. I'm going to do everything in my power to make the team and help turn it around.''

On whether he knew, in advance, that the Kings were drafting him...
``No, they didn't tell me. I saw Dean Lombardi shaking hands with the Calgary GM. I kind of buried my head in my hands and said, `Oh, no.' I really wanted to be a L.A. King.''

On what he knows about the current Kings...
``I don't really know too much right now. I know guys like Thomas Hickey and Wayne Simmonds and Jonathan Bernier. I know all three of them very well. But I don't know a lot about the Kings, just because I'm so far away, but I'm looking forward to coming out there.''

Malkin nears new deal with Penguins
Not interested in jumping to new league in Russia
Saturday, June 21, 2008
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
OTTAWA -- Sidney Crosby gave the Penguins a hefty discount when he accepted a contract worth an average of $8.7 million per season last summer.

Evgeni Malkin, however, is prepared to give them one that will dwarf Crosby's gesture.

Several teams in the new Continental Hockey League in Russia reportedly plan to offer Malkin a deal that would pay him roughly $12.5 million, tax-free, per season, making Malkin the highest-paid hockey player in the world.

Nonetheless, Malkin apparently is intent on remaining with the Penguins, who are expected to give him a five- or six-year deal worth $8.5 million per season.

"He wants to stay in Pittsburgh," said J.P. Barry, his agent. "He wants them to keep as many players as they can, so we're working on a term and a structure that will hopefully do that.

"He could make, if he chose to go [to Russia] next year after his contract expired, double or triple what he's going to make here. That's not what he's interested in doing."

Malkin's base salary for 2008-09 will be $984,200, the maximum allowed by the league's collective bargaining agreement. Barry said he and general manager Ray Shero have the "framework" of a new deal in place, and that "I don't see any major hurdles" that would prevent an agreement.

Ideally, Barry added, one will be worked out by early next month. Per the CBA, Malkin's new deal could not be put in place before July 1 since he has a year left on his current contract.

Barry said that, because Shero has an idea of the contract terms Malkin is seeking, he should have a feel for the resources he can invest in some of the Penguins' unrestricted-free-agents-to-be, particularly winger Marian Hossa and defenseman Brooks Orpik.

"That's the real purpose of why we gave them an idea up front, so they could go to Hossa and have some certainty about what they're doing," Barry said. "The very reason we got out in front of this with Pittsburgh was to help them.

"My understanding is that priority No. 1 is Evgeni Malkin, priority No. 2 is Marian Hossa and you move down from there. If that's not the priority, I'd like to hear that."

Having Malkin under contract at a cut rate could make him more tradeable. Even though Malkin won't be eligible for a no-trade clause for a few years, Barry was adamant that implicit in him accepting less money is that the Penguins won't deal him.

"There is a risk [of him being traded at some point in the future], and that's something we'll talk about, too," he said. "The purpose is not to negotiate a deal to help Pittsburgh and [have Malkin] not be in Pittsburgh."

Malkin played for his hometown team, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, in the Russian Super League, the forerunner to the Continental League. He left in 2006 and won a league challenge by Magnitogorsk, which contended he had a valid contract.

Malkin, however, insisted he signed that agreement under duress, and a federal court in New York ruled in his favor.

The Toronto Star reported yesterday that "several teams" in the new league were interested in having Malkin on their roster when it begins play Sept. 2. That prompted a hard-line reaction by Rene Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation.

He issued a statement saying that if the Russian league signs Malkin while he is under contract in the NHL, sanctions could include denying the country an opportunity to compete in international tournaments such as the Olympics and world championships.

"We would view any signing, from either side, of a player under a valid contract, who does not have any legally valid out-clause, to be a clear violation of the mutual understanding and existing principle," Fasel said. "It would potentially be punishable with suspended national team eligibility and suspension from all competition or activity organized by the IIHF or any IIHF member national association.

"This would include events like the Olympic Winter Games, the IIHF World Championship or international club competitions like the Champions Hockey League. Given this [prospect of harsh sanctions], we are confident that the [Star] report is not substantiated."

That point apparently is moot, however, since Malkin prefers to stay with his current team.

"He came here for a reason," Shero said. "He came to the National Hockey League to play in Pittsburgh."

Geno is following Sid's lead and taking a bit of a discount to help the team.

Obviously this whole article has to be a lie. Ray Finkle said that our whole team is getting dismantled by the cap. Oh BTW, Hossa is also close to signing a 7 year deal and we're very close to finalizing a deal to keep Orpik for only about 3 million a year.

NYI-On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the worst they are in negative numbers.

I was at the draft party. The place was furious when they traded the 5th pick, but when they got nothing of value back from the Leaf's the place really started to flip out.

Then when the Isles traded the 7th pick to the Preds—again for nothing much in return—of the 1,000 or so fans in attendence—at least 500 got up and walked out in disgust and silence. They did not even boo.

When they selected Bailey—you could hear a rat piss on cotton in Argentina. Then—everyone left in disgust.

They botched it. Top to bottom failure. Until the owner is bought out or decides to sell the New York Islanders will be a lottery team. They cant' and will never get it right with an owner who may spend money, but knows nothing about the game, and won't allow managers and staff to do the jobs they are supposed to do. This "Committee" program is a huge bust. This is why Neil Smith left. This is why Lombardi did not want to work here. Or why any other reasonably successful GM will never come here. And I fear Ted Nolan is next to go. So who is going to coach—wait—I know— we can ask our super star draft pick—Josh Bailey to coach from Bridgeport!

After the Los Angeles Kings traded centre Mike Cammalleri to the Calgary Flames for a first round pick Friday night, Gillis said he thought his offer for the player was better. Apparently, the Canucks offered their pick — 10th, seven spots before Calgary’s — but also wanted Kings’ offensive prospect Oscar Moller.

Los Angeles GMDean Lombardi fairly scoffed at Gillis’ claim the Canucks’ offer was better when told of it on Saturday. Gillis was Cammalleri’s agent last summer during a salary arbitration that got nasty. So Lombardi has issues with Gillis. Edmonton Oiler GM Kevin Lowe is famously on record as saying he won’t deal with Gillis.

This is the kind of backlash the new Canucks’ boss faces. Clearly, his relationship is better with many other GMs. But it’s tough to make deals when some managers don’t like the guy pitching them.

Shero is interested in John Michael Liles, which doesnt make alot of sense because virtually all of our defenseman are offensive defenseman, why would we need another one? We need some physical defenSeimian, especially if we lose Orpik, that would leave us with only Gill and a bunch of offensive minded puckmovers. This must mean that they are moving Whitney.

Pens traded the negotiating rights to UFAs Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts to TB for a 4th rounder that could escalate to a 3rd if Malone signed with TB. Malone signed with TB today for 7 years, 31.5 million. Ryan is a good player, but not worth 4.5 million a year for 7 years.

Liles and Foote re-signed by Colorado. Liles probably would've got more on the open market but 4.5 mil a year is reasonable. I'd have more concern over what they signed Foote for, if I'm an avs fan. Dude's getting slower and slower and his physical presence is quickly diminishing.